Issue 63 - October 2005

01 October 2005

GREETINGS!

***UPDATE, OCTOBER 10th*** Please note, I'll be away from home until November 10th, so I won't be posting the November issue of the Shanville Monthly until then. For udates before that, check out my message board or Blog.

It's October again, which means one of my favourite days of the year -- Halloween!!!! I stayed at home last year, for the first time in five years, to go trick or treating with my cousins and other neighbourhood kids! But this year I'm back on the road and will be celebrating the grisly night in Downer's Grove, Illinois!!! But if you can't make it to that event, don't worry -- with the books of Darren Shan, every night can be Halloween!!!! I've been busy writing for the last few weeks (you can read all about it in my Blog -- links provided below), and also keeping track of all the various Shananigans and goings-on in the world of Darren Shan. Lots to report this month -- chart success in the States, a spate of new books and new editions of old books, an interview, "Lord Loss" reviews, details of my upcoming UK tour, and breaking news of my intended short Ireland tour in December!!!! Read on quick to find out more ...

BOOK 10 CHARTS IN AMERICA

Book 10 of the "Cirque Du Freak" series, "The Lake of Souls" was released last month in America, and on the back of strong sales, the series re-entered the New York Times Top 10 bestseller chart!!! The series spent two weeks on the chart, climbing to the Number 7 position. I think that means 3 of my last 4 books have made the NYT Top 10!!!

If you live in the States and haven't bought "The Lake of Souls" yet, you should be able to find it in most book stores. Or you can order over the internet, from Amazon or Barnes & Noble by clicking on one of the links below.

"Lord Loss", the first book of my new series called "The Demonata" goes on sale in the States this month. In fact, it began appearing in shops in September!! It should be hitting a book shop near YOU any time soon, if it isn't there already!!! If you prefer, you can order it online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble via the links below.

It's going to be a busy month for my American publishers!! As well as releasing "Lord Loss", they're also bringing out a boxed set of books 1, 2, 3 and 4 of "Cirque Du Freak"!!! The boxed set features the paperback editions of my first 4 books (whose covers are, in some cases, superior to the hardback editions, in my view!), bound in a cool cardboard case. The cover price is $23.99, which is a sheer bargain for 4 books!!! The perfect, most economical way to start your Darren Shan collection if you don't already own the books -- or the perfect present for a would-be Shanster!!!!!

On top of all that, you can now also buy the Mass Market Paperback (i.e. small paperback) edition of Book 7, "Hunters of the Dusk", as well as the trade Paperback (i.e. large paperback) edition of Book 8, "Allies of the Night". If you can't find any of the above books in your local shop, or prefer buying on the web, check out my online Shop which has links for every edition of every book to Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can find it by clicking here: http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/shop/usshop.html

"NEW" BOOKS FOR THE UK & IRELAND TOO!!

My American publishers aren't the only ones facing a busy October!!! In the UK & Ireland, Shansters can look forward to all these "almost new" books and audio CDs!!!! They should be available in most bookshops through the land (except for the CDs, which are more of a specialist item) but you can also order them through the internet by checking out the Shanville shop here, which links to Amazon UK: http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/shop/index.html

"Vampire Destiny" - the final trilogy collection, collecting books 10, 11 and 12 for the first time ever!! The striking cover is one of my all-time favourites out of all my UK covers!!!

"Cirque Du Freak" Hardback Edition - the first ever UK hardback edition of "Cirque Du Freak"!! The cover might not look like anything special from a scan, but the real thing is much more impressive, with a lot of details which don't show on a computer screen! It's beautifully laid out inside, with cool little drawings at the start of each chapter. There's also an exclusive interview with me at the back! And the page ends are tinted red, so from the front side it looks like it's been doused with blood!!! A beautifully packaged book. Even if you own a paperback copy of the book already, you're going to want this little baby!!!!

"Cirque Du Freak" audio book CD - the complete text (the audio tapes released years ago were abridged, i.e. trimmed down for a shorter running time), read by the freakishly fabulous Rupert Degas. This should be on sale in late October or November in some book shops, but you might have to ask your bookseller to order it for you. Or else get it through my shop.

"The Vampire's Assistant" audio book CD - again, check with your local book shops, or else order it in November from my online Shop.

"Tunnels of Blood" audio book CD - info as above.

Please note, although Amazon list the audio books as also being available on audio cassette, this is a mistake -- they are ONLY being released on CD!!!!

Fans in the UK/Ireland can also order the American boxed set of books 1, 2, 3 and 4 from Amazon UK. If you don't mind the little changes which have been made to make them "more American", for under £12, it's a sheer bargain!!! You can find it here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316153788/shanville

LORD LOSS AUDIO EXCERPT

In the UK, my publishers, HarperCollins, have released an audio book CD of "Lord Loss", brilliantly read by Rupert Degas. I think it's a superb reading -- he reads at just the right pace, and handles the voices absolutely perfectly -- his Lord Loss is ace, exactly the way I imagined it should be, not overdone; Dervish's accent isn't quite what I thought it would be, but it works very well; but my favourite is Bill-E -- he makes him sound like a wannabe rap star -- hilarious!!!!! (The only flaw is that he mispronounces the name, "Grubitsch"!!! It should be "Grew-bitch" not "Grub-itch" -- but that's an easy mistake to make!!!) The packaging is great too, and there are some spooky musical effects to round it all off. I'd definitely recommend the CD if you're into audio books. If you can't find it in your local shop, ask them to order it for you, or else you can buy it through my SHOP at http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/shop/index.html.

If you want to check it out beforehand, you can find a short excerpt from the beginning of the CD by clicking on this link:

I've been going great guns on the Blog front!! I added entries on 23 of the 30 days in September, covering all sorts of topics, such as starting the first draft of book 8 of "The Demonata" ...
I commenced my preparatory work on Book 8 of "The Demonata" today. I started, as I always do when plotting a book, by jotting down a rough outline of the book on a couple of sheets of A4 paper. I always write directly to a PC, except when I'm planning a book -- at this early stage, I prefer to write by hand. I'm not sure why -- it's just a habit. click here for full entry

the fifth Harry Potter book ...
J K Rowling often gets accused by her critics of not paying attention to the editing process, but from my reading of the books, I think this is rot -- the books are long, but not flabby. Everything in them serves a purpose, and though she is a leisurely story-teller by nature, she doesn't pad things out just to make the books thick. The fifth wasn't as much fun as the earlier books, because of the darker elements, but I liked that, the same way I liked the darkness in the third "Star Wars" movie. click here for full entry

my secret identity ...
I was in Ottakar's on George St, signing some stock, and the lady there told me that a friend of hers had been told in strictest confidence by her hairdresser a year or two ago that Darren Shan was, in fact, J K Rowling writing under a different name!!!!! click here for full entry

a "wild" night out with my message board moderator, Pablo ...
Popped in to a night club, but neither of us has ever had much time for discos (except for indie discos when we were younger, where we happily thrashes around to music we actually liked!), so we left after a short sojourn. click here for full entry

writing ...
Wrote 10 pages, which is my target every working day of the week (usually Monday to Friday, though I occasionally work at weekends too). It's always nice to hit the 10 mark at the end of the day -- that's when I know I've put in a good day's work and can down tools! click here for full entry

silent movies ...
Saw a 1914 silent Italian film called "Cabiria" a few days ago. The best scene was where 100 children were sacrificed in a statue of fire to the god Moloch -- coolio!!!! click here for full entry

live music ...
Went to see a band called The Editors. They're a newish band, doing very well at the moment -- they've even had a Top 20 hit in the UK!!! It's rare that big (or even on-the-way-to-being-big) bands come to Limerick, so it was great to see The Editors bucking the trend! click here for full entry

naughty nuns ...
Bas's aunt is a Carmelite nun, and lives in an enclosed order. She's in her 70s, and despite living within a convent for the last 50 years, is as wild as they come! She dated Richard Burton's brother in her earlier years ... she loves to smoke and drink ... and is the biggest Terry Pratchett fan I've ever met!!!! click here for full entry

BBQing ...
I had two barbeques going at once, and I was the only chef, so I was darting from one to the other, turning pieces of meat like mad, trying to stop everything from burning. click here for full entry

a rare hangover ...
this morning I was a mess! My head was pounding, I was sick, my legs were trembling. I had to rest on the couch in my TV room for a few hours, and though I improved over the course of the day, I still don't feel 100 per cent. click here for full entry

"Les Miserables" ...

It's the 4th time I've seen it, and it never ceases to amaze me. It's easily the best play in London, as far as I'm concerned -- great story, brilliant songs, perfectly paced, and wonderfully staged. click here for full entry

a foiled attempt to give blood ...
It was the first time I'd ever gone to give blood, so I was interested to experience it. Unfortunately, when we got there, I found out that in Ireland, if you lived for more than a cumulative year in England between 1980 and 1996, they won't let you give blood, because of fears you might pass on CJD!!!! click here for full entry

... and a whole lot more!!! It's not always the most fascinating of reading material -- diaries rarely are -- but if you want to know as much about me as my closest family, friends and colleagues, click on http://darrenshan.blogdrive.com/ and either bookmark it, or register on the site to be sent an e-mail every time I update it. It's your gateway to the world and mind of the REAL Darren Shan!!!!

I've finally managed to find some time to add all of the reviews of "Lord Loss" (so far!) which I've been able to track down, either in print or on the web. I hope to go through my old "Saga" reviews too, clean them up and add lots more, in the future -- but for now, let's be content with managing to get the first crop of "Lord Loss" reviews into shape and up online!!! You can check them out here: http://www.darrenshan.com/demons/reviews/lordloss/index.html

THE 2005 GLOBAL TOUR!

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER -- AMERICA
Public events are open to anyone who wants to come. School events are for classes from selected, pre-arranged schools. Where the name of a library or book shop is listed for a school event, it MIGHT be possible for you to arrange a visit. If you are a teacher, you MIGHT be able to arrange for one of YOUR classes to come to the event. Or if you're an individual, you MIGHT be allowed to come yourself or with some friends. You will need to make direct contact with the store or library in question -- I have no control over who can or can't come to school events!!

***UPDATED 0CTOBER 10th*** I'm doing a few events and signings in Ireland after my UK tour. Here's where I'll be going, and when. Please note, Thursday 8th is a holy holiday in Ireland, so most schools will be closed that day, which is why I'm doing an earlier-than-usual signing!

I added LOTS of new covers to my site in September, from all around the globe. On the Vampires side of the site, I added covers from the following countries: Italy, Norway, UK, USA. You can access them all by clicking here: http://www.darrenshan.com/vampires/covers/index.html

To round things off, this isn't quite a Darren Shan item, but this is my monthly news letter, so I'll include whatever I feel like!!!

The wonderful children's charity, War Child have released a brand new, unique CD album, called "Help: A Day in the Life". You can either buy it in your local CD store if you live in the UK, or download it (or specific tracks from it) from anywhere in the world by clicking here:

The album was recorded in a single day, in various recording studios, and features brand new songs by the likes of Radiohead, Keane, Coldplay, The Magic Numbers, Damien Rice, The Manic Street Preachers, Bloc Party, the Zutons, Gorillaz and a whole lot more!!!! It's a brilliant album, and supports a fabulous cause, helping children in war zones throughout the world. Buy it IMMEDIATELY!!!!! And tell all your friends to buy it too!!!!!!!!!

IT'S A WRAP

And that's it for October!!! I'll be heading off for the States midway through the month, and won't be back home until November 10th, which means the November issue of the Shanville Monthly will be a bit late!!! What I might do, if a lot happens within the next couple of weeks, is split it into two parts, and post part one before I head for America. But if that doesn't happen, don't panic -- I'll be back here on November 10th or 11th (depending on jet lag!) to update you on everything that's been going on. Also, make sure you check out my Blog while I'm away -- I'll update it as often as possible, to cover as much of the American tour as I can!!!! Until whenever, all the bloody best, Darren Shan x x x